Never Court A Bird
by Lea Cat
Summary: [Sequel to The Raven's Flock] Four years after the 'incident' Dove is being courted by a suitor. Crow is out to kill and Raven begins having suspicions...what does this mean?
1. Suitors

**It's here! It's finally here! I finally decided to post the sequel. Well, I hope you find it enjoyable, because otherwise, I've wasted my time. I'm sorry if this seems short for a first chapter. Aren't intros always short?**

**A moment of silence for a friend of mine whose house caught fire…**

**Alright! Time for the long awaited story!

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**

Dove sighed.

She was sixteen now, but she had held onto her sweet innocent nature. To what purpose, her brother Crow would never know.

Rustling down the corridors while dressed in silk and other atrocities was suicide if there were other people.

Lucky for her, there were none.

For some odd reason, she had been summoned to the throne room and told to look nice.

For whatever reason, Dove felt like shrieking and running away. She sighed and reached for the door.

An inch away from the doorknob, her hand twitched. Did she _really_ want to hear the news?

Most likely not, but it wasn't like she had a choice, right?

Dove opened the door and faced the worst news in her life.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Raven slid her door open a crack. Crow stood there, hair disheveled and looking like he ran 10 miles. "What?" she demanded sharply.

"Dove has a suitor." He said in a fierce yet dangerously calm voice. Raven's eye twitched.

"What?"

"Dove, has, A, SUITOR!" He yelled in her face. "She has a suitor! Do you know what this means? It means that _DOVE_ is being courted!" He looked about ready to pull his hair out. "SHE'S ONLY SIXTEEN! SHE SHOULDN'T BE COURT-" Crow was disrupted from his ranting by Raven's slap. He paused and blinked. "…thanks, I needed that."

"I know." Raven said.

Crow opened his mouth to start ranting again, but Raven cut him off.

"If you say another word about that subject, I will give Starfire permission to 'dress you up in the make of the up'."

Crow gulped and wisely fell silent.

"That's better. Now go away, you're ruining my meditation." Raven told him before slamming the door in his face.

"Sisters…" Crow grumbled as he turned and walked down the hall. "Why couldn't I have a brother? But, nooooo, I just have to be overwhelmed by younger sisters that for some reason can always make me do whatever they want…"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Dove walked forlornly down the palace halls and made her way back to her room.

She looked back and forth before entering her room.

Once inside, she locked all exits and changed into her normal cloak, leotard, and skirt. Then, with a swish of her cloak and a flash of white light, and she was gone.

Heading for the one place both her siblings currently were…

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

There was a loud thump. "Ooof!" Crow exclaimed. "What the-Dove!" He cried happily.

"Crow!" Dove replied, just as enthusiastic. "Where's Raven?"

"In her room. Brooding." Crow told her.

Dove thought carefully. Brooding was Crow's word for meditation. "So, she's in her room meditating?" Dove remarked.

"Ya huh!"

Dove picked herself up and made her way down the grey hallways.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Remando cackled evilly. He had started courting Dove, and was just waiting for her to accept his offer of marriage. He was handsome, smart, and charming. What girl wouldn't fall for him?

He fixed his tie before turning to walk out the door.

He was prepared to court a sweet young girl, and for that, he had to be one step ahead of her protective older siblings. He would be everything they wanted, and when he married her, he would arrange Crow and Raven's 'death'.

After all, he wanted that crown, and he was going to get it.

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**What did you think? Bad? Good? Let me know if you like the plot so far.**

**EveningCatMoon**


	2. Invitations

**I'm sorry it took so long to get this up. I got wrapped up in my new Quizilla account and I had fun making quizzes and reading stories.**

**But…every night…I was plagued with horrible thoughts about my poor story that never gets updated…and I felt so bad! So, I got my act together and got this up.**

**animegoddess12345- Woo. Gee, I sounded so apathetic there, so let me try again…WOO! That better? But, I also loved that part about Crow and his sisters. Well, duh, I'm the writer.**

**GS Dragono- Yes, Crow hates having sisters…do you think I should throw a long lost brother in? I could if you think that would be a good idea…**

**Dine Bilagaana- I'm glad that you were excited to see it. I was excited to see it too.**

**Disclaimer: I own Crow and Dove and Remando. Everything else is NOT mine! I can wish though…

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**

"Raven?" Dove asked. "Are you in there? Can you answer your door?" 

The door slid open, allowing her entrance to the most depressing room she had ever seen. With exception to Crow's of course.

"What?" Raven snapped. At the age of twenty, she was beginning to lose her temper more and more. And thankfully, her powers were more in control, leaving her with a limited amount of feeling.

"My suitor…what do you think of him?" Dove asked meekly.

"…Hmmmm…" Raven muttered, pretending to contemplate it. "Let's see…Crow thinks he's evil, you seem very unsure, and I…" She paused. "I am not making any conclusions until I see him." A dangerous look entered her eyes. "Invite him over."

"Oh, uh, okay." Dove uttered before unexpectedly opening the door.

CRASH!

Four pairs of eyes looked up at her guiltily. One pair was shocked though.

"YOU'RE INVITING HIM OVER!"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"You are not," Crow snarled, "letting that, that, that…that _horrible_ person in here."

"I don't see why we can't." Raven stated. "Besides, isn't that up to Robin?" At the sound of his name, Robin looked up.

Everyone looked at him expectantly. He blinked.

"What?"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"So, let me get this straight...Crow, you think that the man courting Dove is evil, right?" Robin confirmed. When Crow nodded, he continued, "And Raven, you're not sure and want to invite him over so you can get a better idea of what you're dealing with?" Raven nodded. "Alright," Robin said, leaning back into the couch. "I think Raven has the right idea."

Crow opened his mouth to protest but Raven cut him off with an explanation. "We should get to know him better before accusing him of evil diabolical plans, okay? If we falsely accuse a nice guy who has no other intention besides having a family, wouldn't that make you feel guilty?" Crow, who couldn't think of a good comeback, just nodded in defeat. "Besides, how bad can it be?"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Unknowingly, at that very moment, an explosion went off. Also unknown to them, a man in black was congratulating himself in the shadows of the building across the street. And one of the reasons they didn't know about it: Simple. It was on Azerath.

"Oh, I am bad." The man murmured. "Watch out: I'm coming for you next…"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"So, he's coming over day after tomorrow." Raven finalized. Everyone, too tired to do anything else, just nodded. "Alright, let's all get some sleep."

Everyone except Beast Boy headed for the hallway. Beast Boy just collapsed on the couch and began snoring.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

When Remando got a letter addressed from Titans' Tower, he was a bit over-cautious when opening it. When he found the invitation, he raised an eyebrow.

For a moment, he considered rejecting the invitation.

Keywords, _for a moment_.

Remando began weighing pros and cons. Pros: He could cause mischief, get ultimately close to them, earn their trust, and get free room and board. Cons: Considerably less planning time, less freedom, and might rouse suspicion.

After a minute of hard thinking, he grabbed paper and pen and wrote: _I accept._

He stuck it in an envelope and decided to mail it in the morning.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

When Raven checked the mail the next morning, she was pleased to see he had accepted. "You guys!" She called, because heaven help us if Raven ever yelled or screamed. "Come look! He's coming tomorrow!"

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**Yes, the all mighty Raven NEVER screams or yells. Anyway, I was glad to see two constant loyal reviewers. I'm going to bug another reviewer tomorrow. (Glares at BlackCatOfDoom) I wish and want her to review, but she isn't responding to my obvious _hints_, so I will clearly state it. I also want to bug another reviewer, NothingButWolves. I know she reads these, so REVIEW ALREADY!**

**(Whew.)**

**Sorry about that ranting and raving outburst…okay I did need to vent but still…**

**WHEEEEEEEE! (Woo.)  
EveningCatMoon**


	3. Interrogation

**Okay, I realize I was gone for a really long time. Please don't hate me. My stupid life is like a roller coaster, and I write best when I'm at the top.**

**On the other hand, since we can no longer do review replies (Which is no fun…I liked replying to reviews!), I shall now only address reviews if something important comes up.**

**I've taken a sudden liking to Japanese. I can speak simple phrases too.**

**A special honor goes to my own little sister and writer in the making: Laine Squirrel.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Dove, Crow, and Remando. Boo hoo. (Not really, since owning the Teen Titans would get the world destroyed.)**

**On with the story:

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**

**Never Court A Bird**

**By Lea Cat**

**1/23/06

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**

Raven was up early and bright the next morning.

To tell you the truth, she was a little excited about meeting Dove's first suitor. If he wasn't just right for her sister, Raven would be correcting many things…

For now, she would get to know him first.

When the doorbell rang, she was ready for him, and opened the door right away. Remando's first impression of Raven was that of someone regarding a mafia in disguise. She knew right away what he was planning. Raven's eyes narrowed dangerously, but otherwise, she showed no other reaction. "Hello." She greeted him courteously.

"Well, hello to you too." He replied, tipping his hat at her. "My name is Remando."

"Nice to meet you, Remando. I'm Raven, Dove's older sister." Raven held out her hand kindly, but the look in her eyes was anything _but_ kind.

Remando took note of that nervously. Already, Raven was beginning to suspect what he was up to. That was not good.

Outwardly, he smiled and took her hand in a firm handshake. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Come in." Raven invited. To the untrained eye, it looked like she was being friendly. But, from Remando's point of view, it looked like she was leading him into a trap. He gulped silently, and followed her in. "Hey, everyone! Our guest is here." She called out.

The way she emphasized the word 'guest' nearly screamed that he would not be staying very long. He mentally steeled himself as everyone flooded in to meet him. Remando slapped the best smile he could on his face and said pleasantly, "Hello, I'm Remando, nice to meet you all."

Crow gave him a look that said he had come to the same conclusion as Raven. "Well, hello Remando," Crow drawled lazily, "I'm Crow, Dove's older brother." He flashed a predatory smile.

Remando showed none of the nervousness or fear on his face; instead, he replied with a charming, "Oh, it's really nice to meet you."

Yes, really charming.

"Hello, we're the Titans. I'm Robin, that's Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire. You already know Raven." Robin informed Remando.

Raven smiled, slowly and lazily, like a satisfied cat. "Yes, I'm sure we'll be _really_ good friends…"

Beast Boy fidgeted. He was absolutely positive that that Remando dude was going to die, in the slowest and most painful fashion Raven could come up with. And from personal experience, Raven had a lot of different ways to kill a person.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Well Remando, tell us a bit about yourself." Raven said.

"Yes, we hardly know anything about our sister's suitor." Crow agreed from the other end of the couch.

Remando looked back and forth between the siblings, absolutely positive that this was running more along the lines of an interrogation rather than a conversation. "Well, I come from a small town in Azerath and I have an older brother." He rep**lied**. His 'older brother' was actually the employer who hired him to court Dove.

"Oh?" Crow asked, shifting so that he was more sprawled than sitting on the couch. "What's his name?"

"Hawk." Remando slipped. He attempted to cover up. "At least, that's what I call him. His real name's Eduardo."

"Really." Raven said in a flat tone. "Care to tell us why you call him Hawk?"

"W-well we always used to play around and he always seemed to catch me when we were playing tag or hide and seek. You know, almost like a hawk."

"Isn't that interesting…" Raven drawled, as she turned to Crow. "It seems like a coincidence that we also have a brother named Hawk."

Crow nodded in agreement. "That's right, we have a full demon brother. When was the last time we saw him?"

"Only the last time he attempted to murder us. We never were really close to our older brother. But isn't he dead? I heard he was on Infrain when it exploded." Raven muttered.

"Hmm…your right! We even went to his funeral." Crow reminisced.

"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" Raven suddenly asked Remando.

He looked up in surprise. "Um…chocolate, why?"

"I'll go get us some." Raven said, getting up.

"Ooh! Get me some too! I want cookie doe!" Crow grinned eagerly.

Raven shook her head. "I can't believe you're 25…more like 2 if you ask me…" She disappeared into the kitchen.

The moment she was gone, silence filled the room. Remando fidgeted as Crow's black eyes pierced him like spikes, as if glaring would help the situation.

Raven reappeared with three cones, chocolate, cookie doe, and green tea. She handed the cones over and watched as Remando ate every bite. He was a bit afraid it was poisoned.

Raven began delicately licking her cone, all the while still watching Remando with unreadable violet eyes. It didn't help that Crow was still glaring at him.

Remando jumped as a loud exclamation of, "I bet I can beat your high score!" filled the air. All eyes turned and glared as Beast Boy hopped into the room.

He paused. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No." Raven said frostily with a glare that could kill. "No, you didn't interrupt anything."

"Yeah!" Crow chirped. (A/N: HA! THE CROW CHIRPED! …okay, shutting up now…) "You only waltzed in here and everyone's staring at you and the atmosphere is tense. No, Beast Boy, you absolutely did NOT interrupt anything at all!" Crow finished with an overly cheerful smile.

Beast Boy gulped. When the Crow was overly nice to you while Raven was being extra ice queen, Crow was subtly hinting it was time to run. "Uh…I'll just be going now…"

"Beast Boy I need to talk to you." Raven suddenly said, standing up. All color in Beast Boy's face drained.

"Stop! Please stop! I'm sorry, okay Ravey? I'm sorry! No! Wait!" Beast Boy cried as Raven dragged him out of the room with a cheerful smile plastered on her face.

Remando watched the exchange and felt even more fearful for his life. If Raven could reduce Beast Boy to bawling, what could she make _him_ do? He shivered.

It would be a long week.

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**I'm sorry guys, but this is going to be the last update for a while. I let my stories write themselves, and this one's just not wracking up any inspiration. I mean, I know how it will end, I just have to get the characters there too.**

**I'll be updating Through My Eyes shortly. I just have to change a few things.**

**Hee, hee, don't kill me for not updating for awhile and then leaving the story on hiatus. (Several vases hits Lea's head.)**

**ORO!(Can anyone guess where that came from? Heh, heh…)**

**Don't worry, I'll update A.S.A.P. promise, de gozaru yo! (Fifteen points for this one!)**

**-Lea Cat**


	4. Market

**Hey, peoples, I'm back! (Multiple items are thrown at her head.) OW! Okay, I realize I was AWOL. I'm sorry! I've recently gotten obsessed with FMA, and when I get obsessed, it's…not good…**

**On a happier note, not only is this chapter fairly humorous, it actually drags the plot one step closer back on track! And I actually have Crow and Dove drawn up, so when I get them on the comp, I'll put up the link and let you know.**

**Dang, I have a problem…I have the beginning and the end of this story done already, but the middle evades me! Help, I need inspiration! So, if any of you would like to help me, please review and give me some ideas! Now, ON WITH THE LONG AWAITED STORY!**

**Disclaimer: Much as I wish to, I own nothing other than Crow, Dove, and Remando, and I don't even really own them, they were inspired by my friend.

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**

**Never Court A Bird  
****By Lea Cat  
****6/15/06

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**

"Hey, did you guys hear that there's a flea market going on down town?" Robin asked everyone at the breakfast table the next morning.

"A market of fleas?" Starfire shuddered. "I could not imagine such a horrible image. How do fleas run a market, Friend Raven?"

"It's not run by fleas, Starfire. It's only called a flea market because you can find nearly everything there, including pet fleas." Raven told her without looking up from her book.

Starfire blinked. "So, this market of fleas…is like the mall of shopping?"

"Yup!" Crow smiled. "But it has even more stuff than a shopping mall!"

Everyone watched as Starfire's face began to brighten. "Friends! We must traverse to the market of fleas!"

"…" All eyes turned to Robin, most pleading for him to say no and one pair begging for a yes.

How could he say no to Starfire when she had _that_ expression on? "Sure, Starfire, we can go as soon as we're done with breakfast."

"Boo to the yah!" Starfire cheered. She grabbed Raven's arm as she rushed out, blubbering about how she had to get ready.

If Raven's eyes could shoot laser beams, Robin would have been burnt beyond being ash.

"…" Dove blinked and innocently turned to Crow. "Brother…what's a 'flea market'?"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Everything was quiet and peaceful…or as quiet as you could get in a busy marketplace.

Sellers shouting out advertisements rang through the crisp morning air. The general contentment of a populace spending money was abruptly shattered as yelling rose above a volume level the sellers couldn't compete with.

"IDIOT! DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT, BAKA!"

"DON'T TALK BACK TO YOUR OLDER BROTHER! What the heck does 'baka' mean anyway?" Crow added in a quieter voice.

"It's not _my_ fault you don't know Japanese." Dove huffed. "And besides, even if I did break the glass figurine, I could always put it back together."

"You two are such cute siblings." A stall owner nearby commented.

"WE ARE NOT RELATED!" Dove shrieked with enough force to scare a flock of birds off.

"Oh." The stall owner blinked. "Then you're a very cute couple."

"…" Crow's glare was suddenly redirected at the stall owner. "Are you accusing me of incest?" He asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

The middle aged lady was flustered. "Wha-? B-but she just said-"

Luckily, she was saved from having to answer by the arrival of Raven. "Quit it." She reprimanded Crow and Dove. "You are scaring all the nice people."

And it was true. All people within 15 feet of Crow and Dove, other than the stall owner, had disappeared. Crow and Dove had been unknowingly leaking power. The mixture of black and white energy vanished as quickly as it had formed. "Oops. Sorry." Crow said. He suddenly turned overly cheerful and gave a girlish laugh. "Nothing to worry about, people!" He waved at the crowd. "You can all stop worrying about being fried to a crisp on accident!"

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, none of the people took it at face value and continued to give him and Dove a wide berth. "Baka." Dove muttered under her breath. "You only freaked them out more."

Crow turned his attention to Dove. "What does 'baka' mean anyway?"

Raven butt into the conversation. Turning her eyes to Crow, she deadpanned, "You have got to be kidding. 'Baka' is one of the most well known Japanese words."

"Nope!" Crow whistled cheerfully. "Still dunno what it is."

Raven would have slapped herself over the head continually if her self-control wasn't very strong. She settled for whacking Crow over the head.

He blinked a moment before turning to Raven and saying, "You know, it be very much appreciated if you WARNED ME BEFORE YOU DO THAT!"

"…if anything, you should be the one to walk around with a warning label. It can proudly say, 'Warning, yells loudly'." Raven retorted calmly.

"YELLING? I'M _NOT _YELLING!" Crow shouted, waving his arms in an attempt to emphasize his sentence. The only thing he did was knock a glass vase over.

Dove dove to catch it, grabbing it just before it hit the ground. Sighing in relief, she returned it to its proper place. Meanwhile, Raven continued to calmly deflect all of Crow's insults, further annoying the already pissed off black bird.

"You really should keep a firmer hold on your temper; you're sparking again." Raven droned.

"I DO NOT HAVE A SHORT TEMPER! MY HOLD ON MY TEMPER IS ABSOLUTELY FINE!" Crow screamed, ignoring Raven's warning. Dove was reminded of a three year old throwing a temper tantrum as Crow waved his arms around and knocked more merchandise over.

Diving to catch the fragile items, Dove pondered why her older brother, the one who was _supposed_ to set an example, was always acting so childish. Sighing, she telekinetically began catching all the merchandise and placing them back where they belonged. "Yamano, Baka-kun. You are knocking all the merchandise over."

"-AND WHAT THE HELL DOES BAKA MEAN ANYWAY! AND YAMMY, OR WHATEVER YOU SAID!" Crow yelled, frustrated to the point of pulling his hair.

"It's Japanese. It's not my fault my mother decided to take me to Japan for vacation." Dove calmly shot back. "And it's _yamano_ not yammy."

"I. DO. NOT. CARE!" Crow shrieked.

"Is he always like this?" Remando asked Raven quietly.

"Worse." Raven and Dove droned in unison.

"Ah, Mr. Crow? Um, can we continue shopping?" Remando cut into Crow's rant.

"-AND NO WAY IN HELL WILL I BE SHOPPING WITH _HIM_! HECK, I DON'T EVEN TRUST THE DUDE!" Crow screamed to the sky.

_WHAM!_

Crow's rant was abruptly, and efficiently, cut off by a crate smashing against his head. Crow rubbed his head and ruefully glared up at Raven. Opening his mouth to shout some more, he was met with a mouthful of cold water. Dove started giggling as Crow took on a shocked expression. Remando mirrored it.

"What?" Raven shrugged. "He needed it." Dropping the now empty bucket that she had grabbed, she marched over, grabbed Crow by the hand, and dragged him off. Dove and Remando followed.

"Why does Raven seem like the mature one around here?" Remando asked Dove quietly.

Dove paused in her walking.

Confused, Remando turned to ask her what was wrong, only to find her face taking on an adorable pout. "Are you saying I'm immature?" She asked quietly.

"I didn't mean it that way--"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Well, team, that was a _wonderful_ trip to the flea market!" Robin said in an overly cheerful voice. It did a one-eighty and dropped to a very serious tone. "Raven, since the damage came from _your_ siblings, you get the damage bill."

Raven was shooting daggers into Crow and Dove, who were both soaking wet. "Oh, don't worry. The bill _will_ get paid." She murmured icily, "**_Right, Crow and Dove? All 100,000 dollars will be paid in full._**"

Crow and Dove attempted to shrink behind Remando, an anatomically impossible feat, seeing as both could not fit behind him. "_Ah…of course, Raven…the bill will be paid…don't worry…_" Two tiny, barely heard voices informed Raven.

"Good." Raven said, her tone informing all present that it would not be her paying the bill.

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**Whew! That's done and over with! Peoples, I'm really running short on ideas, so share some…and I can't believe I'm doing this…I'm to the point where I'm willing to co-author this with someone. I can't believe I just said that. But really, I'm so frustrated! (And I've seen other stories co-authored…not only did it turn out well, it's updated faster, AND I liked the way they turned out.) So, if you have an idea, review, if you wanna co-author, PM me. You'd have to know a few spoilers, so…yeah…so even if you want to co-author, review first!**

**Hopefully I'll see you all soon, (As in I update quickly. Most likely not.)**

**Lea Cat**


	5. Carnival

**Wow, this one's longer than expected. Well, folks, I don't know if that was a long wait, (It probably was; I'm such a slowpoke!) but I hope you're satisfied with the work. And I'd like to thank GS Dragono for all the help on this chapter. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.**

**It's official. GS Dragono's gonna be my writing buddy.**

**Disclaimers: We've been over this already. I have NO money. I'm broke. I own nothing. 'Cept Crow and Dove and Remando because I made them from scraps I found.

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**

**Never Court A Bird  
By Lea Cat  
8/9/06

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**

"There is a Carn of the Val next week!" Star shoved a poster onto the breakfast table, which came dangerously close to the drooling, sleeping Beast Boy.

"WHAT? Really! Oh my god, we have to go!" Dove shrieked. It was emphasized with a particularly loud snore.

"But we just went to the flea market." Crow protested, leaning his head against the breakfast table.

"Suck up and deal with it." Dove growled, shooting him the evil eye. Literally. Glowing red and everything.

"Ah. Okay!" He squeaked.

"Robin, may we go? I wish to eat the cotton that is edible!" Starfire pleaded.

"Alright, Star, you win, we'll go…" Robin suddenly found that he had breathing problems. And it wasn't because of his lungs…

"Oh, thank you, Robin!"

"Star?" Cyborg tapped the Tameranian's shoulder. "You might want to let him breathe…"

"Eep! Forgive me; I wasn't doing the 'thinking'!"

"It's fine, Star. And the phrase is, 'I wasn't thinking'." Robin muttered while rubbing circulation back into his arms.

"Okay, now that we've decided that we're going to attend the carnival _next week_. Can we get back to planning what's happening _today_?" Raven suddenly spoke up. She whacked Beast Boy over the head. "_Wake up_. Your snoring is getting on my nerves."

"Ack!" Beast Boy flew up so fast, he whammed into Cyborg, who had been leaning over him. Needless to say, Beast Boy's headache was now worse than Raven's… "Raven! What was that for?"

"Shut up and listen, Robin's outlining a battle strategy."

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Wow!" Dove gasped as she stared at the many assorted games. "Raven, Raven! Can I go play?"

"You didn't ask me? I'm hurt." Crow moaned. Dove ignored him as she ran off to throw darts at balloons. Remando followed after like a dejected puppy.

"Robin, I wish to follow Friend Dove!" Star stated, and grabbed Robin's hand, zipping off.

"Come on, Crow."

"Huh? Where're we going?" Crow asked, bewildered.

"We're going to the Maze of Mirrors." Raven replied.

"Whaaaaat! No! That place is creepy! We are NOT going there! Raven! Nooooooo!" Crow cried as Raven forcibly dragged him along.

Cyborg and Beast Boy stood by themselves for a moment. "Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"That was freaky."

"Yeah."

"…"

"…"

"…Arcades?"

"Boo yah!" was Cyborg's only response.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Wow, you're really good at this." Remando commented as he watched Dove throw darts at balloons. "What's your secret?"

Dove threw another dart with unerring accuracy at a balloon. She gave a satisfied smile when it popped. "I'm pretending they're Crow's head." Remando choked.

"Uh…why don't we go look at the animals? Yeah…let's go look at the animals…" Remando forcibly dragged Dove away. Which wasn't much of a struggle, because Dove immediately clung to the bars of the animal cage.

"That poor lion." Dove said.

"Yeah…hey, look! The guy's gonna get the lion to do tricks!"

She pouted. "I'm not four; you don't have to point those things out to me."

Remando scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry…"

"It's fine."

They stood there for a while, watching the lion jump through hoops. When the act was over, the man bowed to the audience, who obediently clapped. Then a child's balloon popped. The lion started, and bashed out of the cage.

The people cleared out quickly, screaming and running. "Dove!"

Dove was standing in the path of the lion, apparently frightened into standing still. _I always was nervous around lions. They never made me comfortable. That one's going to kill me—_

Her train of thought was interrupted by something slamming into her. When she wasn't immediately torn to shreds, she looked up and found Remando cradling her. "Are you alright?" He asked.

_He saved me._ Dove thought dizzily. _I always dreamed that someone would rescue me from a dangerous situation. He saved me. _"My hero!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to turn ten different shades of red.

"Ah…" Thankfully, he was saved from having to say anything when Crow came on the scene.

"Dove! Are you alright!"

Dove smiled at him cheerfully. "I'm fine. Remando saved me!"

"Is that so…" Crow said, eyeing Remando. "…well, we should get you back to the tower."

"Come on, the rest will come after us when they're done. We don't want to ruin their fun." Raven droned as she appeared behind Crow.

He started and clutched at his heart. "Fine, as long as you don't DO that!"

Raven ignored him and brushed her hand against Dove's forehead. Dove pushed it away. "I'm fine!"

"Let's head back." She said.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Crow sat on the roof and moped. How come Remando got to save Dove? That guy had no right to waltz in and act as he pleased.

"May I join you?"

Speak of the devil. Crow only grunted, and Remando took that as a yes. Crow glowered as the other man sat next to him.

"You know, your sister is something else."

Remando didn't have to say which sister he meant. "Yeah. Dove's always been special. She's really sweet."

"She has an innocence you hardly see anymore." Remando paused and laughed before continuing, "It makes me want to shield her from the world. I'm sure you understand." His only response was a glare, but he kept going, undeterred. "In my entire lifetime, I've never met anyone like Dove. Lately, I've been getting up so I can see her smile." That got Crow's attention.

"You seem really dedicated."

"Yeah. You see, I'm an orphan, and my childhood was shaky at best. Finding Dove was like lighting up the dark room I've always lived in. She makes me want to be a better person."

Crow nodded, and watched the content smile on Remando's face. "I can sympathize."

"I just want to make her happy."

Crow's eyes lit up as he came to a realization.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"I wonder what they're talking about up there."

Raven looked up from the book she was reading. "Hm?"

"Crow and Remando are both on the rooftop." Dove said, as she stared at the hallway doors.

"Well then, let's hope that Crow doesn't kill Remando." Raven replied calmly, as she turned a page.

"Don't say that!" Dove yelled as she jumped up from her seat. "Why do you and Crow think that Remando's such a bad guy, huh? Maybe he's not as bad as you think! Maybe you're being paranoid! Will you please just give him a chance? He's not bad at all!"

Raven simply stared at her until she stopped ranting. "Will you sit down?" Once Dove was sat again, Raven continued. "I never said that Remando was a bad person. I simply implied that Crow does not feel comfortable around him. It comes from the fact that neither Crow nor I know what his intentions are. Understood?" Dove nodded sulkily.

The main doors slipped open, and the rest of the Titans filed in, led by Starfire. "Friends Raven and Dove, we are back! It was a most delightful trip!" Starfire chirped before floating over to where Dove was and asking in a more serious tone, "Friend Dove, are you injured?"

Dove smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine, Star. Remando saved me."

"That is good to hear." Starfire smiled back.

Laughter was suddenly heard throughout the main room. The causes of it walked in a moment later.

"That has GOT to be the funniest story I have ever heard!" Crow laughed, his arm draped casually over Remando's shoulders.

"If you think that was funny, wait till you hear the one where my brother burned down the kitchen!" Remando replied, his arm also draped over Crow's shoulders. Both were laughing as if drunk.

"Crow?" Dove asked hesitantly.

At his name, Crow straightened and faced them all. "I've come to a decision. This guy," he thumped Remando's back, "is _perfect_ for Dove!"

"I'm glad you agree! I was going to ask you if it was alright to accept later." Dove said.

"Then it's decided. Dove is gonna marry Remando." Crow finalized. Starfire cheered happily.

"Glorious! I must make a cake for the wed of the ing!" Starfire flew off towards the kitchen. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy went to congratulate the two, while Raven pulled Crow aside.

"What are you thinking?" Raven hissed.

Crow frowned. "Come on, Rae! Remando and I had a talk and I think he's the best for Dove."

"I still think we should wait a little longer--"

"I'm the oldest." Crow interrupted. "And it is my right as the oldest to overrule you."

Raven watched as Crow stalked off. For the first time ever, Crow had gone against her advice. He must have felt really strongly about this, she mused. But that did not ease her suspicions. She would just have to keep a closer eye on Remando.


End file.
